Friends and Lovers
by keann
Summary: YOAI. ShuuheiRenji. Seven days after Aizen's defection, things between old friends took a new turn. post-SS arc. Chapter 3 is up.
1. Chapter 1

Title : Friends and Lovers (1)

Author : keann

Pairing : ShuuheiRenji

Rating : M (on the safe side)

Genre : romance

Warning : yoai

Summary : Hisagi was drunk. Abarai took care of him.

Disclaimer : Bleach belongs to Kubo. Shuuhei belongs to Renji; Renji to Shuuhei likewise.

A/N : English is not my first language and the fic is un-beta'd. Pardon my grammar and vocabulary. Most welcome to point out any error spotted. Corrections will be made with heartfelt thanks.

*

Hisagi Shuuhei stirred and came around from the deep sleep that enveloped him just moments ago.

He was not in his own room. He was not sleeping on his own futon.

There was dim light from somewhere and when he turned towards it he noticed a silhouette sat leaning against the open shoji window.

Hisagi recognized that reiatsu before his fighter's instincts kicked in and jumped wide-awake.

"Ummmmmp, Abarai?" His throat dry. His eyes stung.

The redhead turned and a grin spread across his handsome face. Abarai Renji was in his yukata with his long crimson hair down, one elbow on the window frame with hand on his cheek.

"Why am I here?" Hisagi tried to get up but fell back feeling light-headed.

"Hisagi-san, you better stay still. You have taken too much sake." Abarai moved towards Hisagi. His silhouette glowed from the outside light. The sight dazzled Hisagi. "I delivered document to Division Ten and Hitsugaya-taichou asked me to walk you back. Only you insisted that you didn't want to go back...to your division so I brought you to my quarter."

Hisagi recalled bumping into Komamura-taichou earlier that day when he paid a visit to the nameless grave of Tousen's beloved long-gone friend. He remembered accepting Matsumoto's invitation later that day to share some sake and found an already very drunk Kira at Division Ten office.

The last thing Hisagi remembered was Kira and himself being drunk under the table over and over again by one absolutely pissed Matsumoto Rangiku.

The conversation with Komamura-taichou did not ease his questioning mind on why his former taichou had turned against them and left. Neither did the drinking game with Matsumoto help putting at bay his feelings of desperation and hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Abarai. I must go." Hisagi suspected he had done something stupid in between the time of going from Division Ten to Division Six, for which he had no recollection. He was rarely out of control like this and he died to get out before making himself an even bigger fool in front of Abarai than he already had.

"No. You must rest." Abarai settled next to the futon, a glass of water in his hand. "And down it all if you don't want a hell-of-a hangover tomorrow morning."

Hisagi moaned and closed his eyes when he tried to sit up again. His head was splitting and the rest of his world was spinning. Suddenly a strong hand was on his shoulder and he felt anchored and steady again.

"Thanks. I do need some sleep. Can I stay over?" Hisagi emptied the glass, feeling weak and exhausted.

"If you don't mind sharing...I only got one set of futon." Abarai gave a small smile that seemed almost shy.

"Of course not. Thanks for...everything." Hisagi rolled over to one side before sleep took over him in a matter of seconds.

Yet Abarai simply sat there staring thoughtfully at the sleeping form. Hisagi Shuuhei had always been strong, poised, gentle and easy-going. He had never seen his senpai so devastated and broken.

Earlier that evening Abarai had run an errand for his taichou to deliver an urgent document to Hitsugaya-taichou. When he walked inside the office of Division Ten, Matsumoto, Hisagi and Kira were passed out on the floor with sake bottles all over the place. An obviously annoyed Hitsugaya-taichou had ordered his men to take care of Matsumoto and escort Kira back before asking Abarai to take Hisagi back to Division Nine.

Hisagi had been obliging and quiet when Abarai walked him out. But before they made it half the journey, Hisagi grabbed Abarai's collar and shouted about going for some more drinks. Abarai had no other way but to pacify his fellow fukutaichou and take him to Division Six instead.

What Abarai had never expected was the sudden onslaught initiated by Hisagi.

Upon learning that there was no drinks served in Abarai's quarter, Hisagi became agitated. He grabbed the redhead's collar again and shouted some more. Abarai readied himself for a dirty fight, but was taken aback when Hisagi pulled him in abruptly and started sobbing into his neck.

The next thing Abarai knew was that he was shoved back hard against the wall. Hisagi's tongue was already in his mouth and hands all over his chest.

"Renji..." His named was called against his own lips, sweet breath of sake dancing on his tongue.

He could have mustered his strength to push Hisagi away, if he had not lost himself in the sudden intimacy and closeness.

His hands found their way to the spiky dark hair when Hisagi's mouth moved down the tattooed neck to the tattooed chest. He gasped when Hisagi ground his own hardness against his groin.

Abarai was so aroused he could not stop trembling. He was only a breath away from losing the very last bit of his self-control.

Then as abruptly as things had started, Hisagi shuddered once and all the movement ceased. The emotional exhaustion combined with the alcohol affection had led to his premature release. His strength dispersed and his legs gave in on him. He slipped down onto the floor fighting back tears of frustration.

Abarai could not find any words. He helped his senpai to clean up and change before tucking him in on the futon. His heart ached when Hisagi responded like a puppet, avoiding eye contact all the time. His eyes never left his senpai until the older shinigami fell asleep.

Changing into yukata and settling himself against the window, Abarai tried to come to terms with the situation. The opportunity had presented itself, but it had led them nowhere. The equilibrium carefully maintained was upset and Abarai knew he had to make a decision, fast.

He loved and respected Hisagi. All the time.

Both of them were Ruikongai brats fighting their ways through the shinigami academy and landing at the Gotei 13. Both of them had lost something important along the way.

Hisagi Shuuhei was strong and sure, good at fighting but peace loving, hard on himself but easy on others, trusted by superiors and well loved by juniors. He was all-rounded as a warrior, an editor and a music-lover, and never stopped advancing himself in every department.

For as long as Abarai could remember, Hisagi Shuuhei was the closest thing to a role model for him to look up to and keep going on.

But he also wanted Hisagi. As always.

Knowing how good that mouth tasted and how hot that body felt now, he could no longer be around Hisagi without wanting to kiss him and touch him.

So when Hisagi woke up Abarai nearly fled out of the window. It was hard to tell whether Hisagi remembered the episode occurred between them earlier that night. The redhead's heart was wrenched by the surge of mixed feelings.

He was still painfully hard even when Hisagi rolled over and fell back asleep. But he paid no heed to that problem. Instead, he grabbed an extra blanket, wrapped himself up in a bedroll before laying down next to Hisagi.

-tbc-


	2. Chapter 2

Title : Friends and Lovers (2)

Author : keann

Pairing : ShuuheiRenji

Rating : M (for a reason)

Genre : romance

Warning : yoai; smut

Summary : Hangover was not the only thing Shuuhei had to deal with after a drunken night.

Disclaimer : Bleach belongs to Kubo. Shuuhei belongs to Renji; Renji to Shuuhei likewise.

Beta : English is not my first language and the fic is un-beta'd. Pardon my grammar and vocabulary. Most welcome to point out any error spotted. Corrections will be made with heartfelt thanks.

*

Hisagi Shuuhei could feel the warm sunlight on his face, the summer breeze kissing his cheeks.

But he did not feel fresh out of a sleep. Instead, his head was heavy and his heart was beating oddly fast.

Damn hangover, must be it.

He opened his eyes to get a hold of his surroundings and his stomach twisted at what he saw.

Abarai Renji was sleeping next to him, sprawling half on and half off the futon. His face relaxed. His breath steady. His reiatsu at ease.

The loose crimson locks shimmered in the sunlight. Tattooed skin revealed pleasingly under the half opened yukata. Exposed muscle firm and well toned.

Hisagi swallowed hard. With his growing arousal the memory of the encounter the night before found its way back and hit him.

Oh kami-sama. What had he done? What the hell had he DONE?

He had jumped the redhead and cried on him. He had kissed him and, oh kami oh no, he had even came just by touching him.

He must have a panic attack. His face burned and his whole body crushed in pain. He would have died of embarrassment. But a small part of him was delighted with something vaguely called hope. At least Abarai had not killed him right there and then.

"Hisagi-san, are you ok?"

Hisagi was so beyond himself that he practically jumped at the question. He could not face his friend and turned away quickly.

"...yeah...ump, look, I'm so sorry...about, ump, last night...I..."

"It's alright. You were drunk."

Hisagi had a sinking feeling when he felt the other shinigami shifted and left the futon. He glanced over his shoulder.

Abarai stood stretching his long limbs in front of the window. Bathing in the sunlight he looked laid-back and placid; hands raised to run through the red tresses while eyes closed and breathed in deeply.

Hisagi wanted this man so badly his heart hurt. The first thing came to his mind slipped out of his treacherous tongue.

"Heard you are leaving for the human world today."

"Me? Why?"

"Kuchiki is leaving with the Ryoka, isn't she? Aren't you going with her?"

"Rukia? She is staying for recovery."

"Oh."

When the redhead turned towards his senpai, their eyes finally met.

That solemn look on Abarai's handsome face shook Hisagi to the core. His gaze was intense and his voice was hoarse.

"Look, I do not feel sorry for what had happened last night. Get your ass over here and finish what you have started."

Abarai could see a sudden revelation dawned on Hisagi as his widened eyes narrowed. He could also sense the surge of reiatsu coursed through Hisagi when the older shinigami was about to charge.

Then the Division Nine fukutaichou launched himself towards the redhead and they ended up wrestling on the floor.

Abarai found himself being pinned down by Hisagi's solid body. Their lips and chests and groins and thighs were pressed together. Skin sliding on skin with the yukata wide opened.

How the hell could Hisagi overpower him with such ease?

He barely caught a glimpse of the feral look in Hisagi's eyes when the air was sucked out of him by one scorching mouth.

Lips locked. Tongues battled. Teeth raked. Sure as hell Hisagi could kiss. And Abarai resolved to match his senpai in every move.

It startled Hisagi how unyielding the redhead was. Abarai Renji was well known for being a tough fighter who never gave up or backed down. But Hisagi Shuuhei wouldn't do anything without giving his best.

Abarai hissed and gritted his teeth when Hisagi ground his own arousal down forcefully on him. Pain and pleasure blended in his groin. He had been hard throughout the night and struggling not to lose it right away.

The redhead returned the favor by pushing three licked up fingers into Hisagi's tight entrance and explored mercilessly. He grabbed a fistful of dark spiky hair, holding the older shinigami in place and stifled his senpai's whimper with deep and searing kisses.

Hisagi yanked the younger shinigami up with him until they were practically sitting on each other's lap. He put an arm around the redhead's waist to pull him close, until their throbbing lengths were trapped between their hard bodies. The older shinigami wrapped his other hand around both of their weeping erections and started stroking.

Their balls brushing; their cocks rubbing. They rocked into each other with every pump, panting and shivering. The sensation overload pushed them further and higher.

"Renji...ah...Renji, I want you come inside me." Hisagi buried his face in the ruby tresses and growled. Tension was building around his balls. His cock was crying for release.

Abarai bit back a moan and laid his head on Hisagi's shoulder. That voice dripping with sex could just do him in. He was close, very close.

"Hell, yes...ride me."

With a thud the redhead's back hit the floor. The younger shinigami's mouth was thoroughly devoured, before Hisagi spitted on his own palm to coat Abarai's hot flesh. Positioning himself over Abarai hastily, Hisagi came down in one fluid motion.

The initial stretch, the familiar pressure burned through his lower body. Hisagi knew he was not fully prepared for this but he wanted it anyway. He wanted something that could leave a mark and could last for more than a few moments.

A bark choked in Abarai's throat when he was being engulfed in molten heat. He steeled himself, gripping Hisagi's hips with both hands and waited for the older shinigami to make the first move.

Hisagi's face was taut; his brow furrowed, his eyes screw shut. His manhood stood out proudly over his stomach. The sweaty naked form before Abarai's eyes was a sight beyond words.

Then Hisagi started moving with a soft grunt. He came up slow and went down all the way several times before changing pace and shifting position.

Feeling that he was being swallowed over and over again, Abarai's hips bucked and thrust up involuntarily. His groans fast and short. His eyes half-lidded. His mouth slightly parted. His handsome face was twisted with lust and pleasure.

Taking in the sight of the redhead beneath him, Hisagi could not hold back anymore. He cried out when the white-heat bliss hit him and came spurting all over Abarai's exotic tattooed chest.

The muscle tightening around him pushed the redhead over the edge. His head exploded and he was momentarily blind. With a strangle cry Abarai emptied himself inside Hisagi forgetting even his own name.

Trembling on top of Abarai, Hisagi gasped and tried to regain his composure.

Holding Hisagi in his arms, Abarai lied totally spent and, strangely, unsettled.

-tbc-

A/N : Didn't set out to write smut but the boys decided it's time to have some smoking hot sex. I just love them too much to disagree. lol


	3. Chapter 3

Title : Friends and Lovers (3)

Author : keann

Pairing : ShuuheiRenji

Rating : R (for the language)

Genre : romance

Warning : yoai

Summary : Abarai sorted out his feelings for Hisagi and was ready to take a step forward.

Disclaimer : Bleach belongs to Kubo. Shuuhei belongs to Renji; Renji to Shuuhei likewise.

Beta : English is not my first language and the fic is un-beta'd. Pardon my grammar and vocabulary. Most welcome to point out any error spotted. Corrections will be made with heartfelt thanks.

*

"What's bothering you, Renji?"

Abarai turned to look at the dark haired petite girl walking next to him. Rukia could always read him like an open book.

Well, actually almost everybody could read him like an open book. He was that bad at keeping his emotion in check.

"You look horrible. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

They had just seen Ichigo & co. off at the Senkai gate and Abarai was walking Rukia back to the Kuchiki mansion.

Hisagi had been there to see the kids off too. Abarai would have greeted him formally, as fukutaichou to fukutaichou, if Hisagi had not been avoiding him all the time.

Now that Hisagi refused to communicate, Abarai was stripped of the chance to explain himself.

That morning the dark haired shinigami had left the redhead's quarter without a word. Abarai's gaze had been fixed at the ceiling instead of lingering at the departing fukutaichou.

It hurt more than he was willing to admit.

It was easy to take whatever you were offered, but it never was easy to let go.

The encounter with Hisagi had blown his mind away. They had stumbled across an unknown territory of intimacy beyond friendship. He had seen the beauty and vulnerability of Hisagi and there was no turning back.

What did he want from Hisagi? What the hell did he expect out of all of these?

"No need to worry, Rukia. I'll be fine. Get yourself well soon."

Rukia sighed under her breath. Abarai Renji was stubborn enough to stand up against the whole Soul Society. But she had her way with him.

"Renji," She stopped walking and placed her small hand on his arm. "are you in love?"

"What?" Abarai was horrified. If a shinigami could die of heart attack he already did.

"You think I can't tell?"

"I...I..." Struggling to find words, he took a deep breath. "Rukia, I..."

"You can tell me when you're ready. " She smiled up at him. "I'm happy for you."

Abarai smiled back, more sure about himself now than ever.

He already had his fair share of regret for letting her go. He did not want to lose Hisagi and he would make sure it was not going to happen this time.

After parting with Rukia at the front gate of the Kuchiki mansion, Abarai hurried back to Division Six. It was Kuchiki-taichou's first day back to the office after his recovery and Abarai knew better than to piss him off.

Back at the office Abarai greeted his taichou formally, who was all stoic and regal as always, before making a short verbal report, and then went back to his desk to take on the paperwork. The two of them worked together in almost total silence just like before the Ryoka's invasion and Rukia's execution and Aizen's defection and what not had happened.

But something had changed. The air was less pressing and suffocating. There was even some degree of easiness and companionship spreading between them. If Abarai had hated and feared his taichou before for his cold and distant manner, intimidating and prejudicial behavior, formidable and powerful reiatsu, he knew now his taichou deserved more understanding and respect from him.

He was the fukutaichou of Division Six for crying out loud. Abarai Renji was supposed to trust his taichou, follow him and die for him. Kuchiki Byakuya was supposed to lead his fukutaichou, guide him and protect him.

"Taichou, I'm sorry." The words rolled off his tongue much easier than Abarai had thought. It was not that hard to say it aloud, after all.

"You have broken the rules of Soul Society. It is not for me to decide whether your apology is accepted."

Abarai grinned at the expected reaction. He might still want to outdo his taichou someday, yet he finally recognized Kuchiki Byakuya as a taichou he could look up to and rely on.

His realization turned bitter when he remembered his best friends had lost their taichous whom they had admired, if not worshipped, greatly and trusted wholeheartedly.

He felt guilty for the fiasco resulting in their sufferings. Of course it was not his doing. But he felt bad all the same for the agonizing states his friends had fallen into.

Hinamori was slipping in and out of coma since her injury, deep in denial. Kira was drowned in self-loathing and depression, refusing to come out of his shell. Hisagi bottled up his emotion and drove himself to exhaustion with duties and drinks.

Hisagi had always been clam and cool and all that. He was so strong and honorable he shouldn't be so wound up and miserable.

The more the redhead reflected, the more he felt scared.

It was time for lunch break and Abarai decided he had done with thinking.

"Taichou, if you need me I'm at the training ground."

"Renji, we go to Division Ten now."

"...umh, taichou?"

Abarai bit back the 'why', well aware that his taichou was not going to entertain his question.

_(That's gonna be fun.) Zabimaru sneered._

_What do you mean?_

_(We are ready, Renji.) The snake hissed._

_No way I'm fighting Senbonzakura again!_

_(No, but a good fight no less.) The baboon seemed more excited than usual._

_Why Division Ten?_

_(Heehee, you'll see.) The snake snickered._

_Che!_

Abarai did not like it when his zanpakutou knew something while he did not. He always suspected that the zanpakutous had their own way of communicating among themselves.

He felt something disturbing when approaching Division Ten's barrack. Hitsugaya-taichou's reiatsu was unfolded and boiling up.

When they arrived at the training ground, Abarai noticed that all the taichous, except Yamamoto-soutaichou and Kurotsuchi-taichou, were present, along with Kira, Hisagi, Iba, Madarame and Ayasegawa.

Hitsugaya Toshiro stood in the middle of the field, hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou.

Abarai looked across the field to where Matsumoto was. She met his eyes and shook her head. Her face was dead serious.

"Taichou, what's going on here?" Abarai turned to Kuchiki Byakuya, pleading for some answers.

"You are permitted to release your bankai, Renji."

"What the...!"

More reiatsu rolled out from the small stature shinigami, soaring through the air.

"Kira, Hisagi, Abarai. Bring it on." The young taichou growled. "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

-tbc-


End file.
